One-Night Stand
by White Eevee
Summary: Safu gets some sperm.


Safu stared coolly at the inhabitants of the bar. There weren't many, seeing as it was early evening, and neither the night nor the lunch crowd was in attendance. Bad luck. That left her with only her thoughts as company. She checked her watch again. 5:04.

Shion was late. Granted, only by four minutes, but Shion was always on time. Safu was always early, and Shion was always on the dot. They joked about their punctuality often.

 _Maybe he's nervous for his date with Mr. Perfect._ The ice in her water glass pinged brightly as it shifted. Safu sighed. _Don't be rude_ , she chastised herself. _You should be happy he found someone._ _What's more, he wants to introduce them to you._

Shion had been so excited when he told her he was seeing someone. He could barely hold still, gushing about how beautiful and wonderful the guy was, how they had been together four months, but he had waited to tell her because he wanted to be sure they were actually a couple first. He had flushed up to his ears when he asked if she would like to meet him, the picture of anxiety, as if he half expected her to refuse. But she had only smiled a little and said, of course, she would love to meet the man that's got him so tongue-tied.

She meant it, too. She was curious to see the sort of person Shion would bring, and she wanted to assess whether he was good enough for her friend. Shion was intelligent, but he was far too prone to seeing the best in other people, even when it wasn't there. So it was up to her to evaluate the true quality of his partner.

But it would be a lie to say that his news didn't sting a little. She had more or less conquered her unrequited feelings, but love was a resilient thing, and despite every effort, she still couldn't help but feel pained to know that she had finally lost him to another person.

And of all places, Shion chose _this_ bar to meet.

 _It makes sense_ , she supposed. _My heartbreak started at this bar, it might as well come complete here…_

 **XXXX**

"I'm sorry, Safu…"

Those were the only words Shion could give her. She had offered her heart and he had offered her an apology. She was mortified, but more than that, she was terrified that she had forever ruined the friendship between them. They had grown up together, knew everything about each other, and she had fallen in love with him before she even knew there was a word to describe the depth of her feelings.

Safu shifted on the bar stool, feeling like the most miserable, unfortunate loser to have ever entered the establishment. And that was an accomplishment, considering the few other unfortunates planted in front of the bar.

 _Why did he reject me?_ That thought ran marathons around her.

Maybe she came on too strong. She had to admit, asking Shion for his sperm was a horrible lead in to confessing her feelings. It was a miscalculation of the worst kind. She should have just went the traditional route and said, "I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

But she had short circuited at the crucial moment. _Her_ , she who was usually so poised and collected, who was complimented time and again for her ability to articulate her thoughts, had allowed nerves and strength of emotion to cloud her judgment, and she made the situation unsalvageably awkward.

That had to be the reason why Shion didn't reciprocate. If it wasn't, then she didn't know what else it could be. Other than him being completely not interested and only seeing her as a friend. Safu winced.

 _I don't understand. I'm attractive. I'm intelligent. Anyone would be glad to—_

Safu stared down into her drink for a long moment.

Then she turned and looked out into the bar. It was packed with men of all sorts, and most of them were likely looking for company that night. That's why people went to bars, right? For companionship? In her aimless roving, she caught the eye of a suave-looking gentleman. He winked at her before taking the arm of a beautiful woman and walking out.

 _That's right. Shion isn't the only man in the world._

Safu was confident in her looks. She was desirable, and if Shion couldn't appreciate her the way she wanted him to, then someone else would.

Right now.

It had to be someone not at all like Shion. Choosing someone similar to the boy who rejected her would be pathetic for one, and besides, she had enough self-awareness to realize that, although Shion appealed to her intellectually and physically, physiologically speaking, he wasn't an ideal mate.

Tonight she wasn't going to settle for anything but the best.

Pickings were looking slim from where she sat, though. There was a decent crowd in the bar, but her first search produced no favorable candidates. Some beefy guy in the corner was leering at her like she was a piece of meat. Safu returned his glare with a look of unbridled disgust, and the man turned away.

Rejecting men was easy; it was how to go about seducing them that Safu was a little unsure of. She had only tried it once, and that had resulted in the miserable failure that led her to the bar in the first place.

A man sidled up to her, flashing white, perfectly straight teeth. "Hey, beautiful."

Safu studied him. Dark hair, bright eyes, and impeccably dressed. A rich playboy. Certainly a good catch, but not the kind of man she was looking for. He didn't suit her tastes, and despite his good looks and apparent wealth, there was an air of inadequacy about him. She sensed he possessed the kind of confidence that came not from quality of character, but from a checkbook and a life of taking things for granted.

 _Not this one either._

"You're not what I'm waiting for," she told him, and turned back to her drink.

"Aw, c'mon, baby. Give me a chance. I've barely said one word to you."

"You just said a lot of words and I didn't like any of them. Go away."

Like flipping a switch, the playful look on the man's face went off and he glared at her. For a moment she wondered if he was going to curse her out, but he pushed off the counter and flounced away instead. _Off to hunt easier prey,_ she assumed.

Safu sipped more of her cocktail through its straw and swept her eyes over the crowd for the second time. _No. No. No._ Her gaze settled on a group sitting in a gloomy corner of the bar. _Hmm._

Two women and two men were sitting around a table, its surface laden with emptied glasses. The male-to-female ratio implied that these were two couples on a double date, and she'd almost eliminated them from her search based on that. But then she read the body language.

The women were obvious: touching their faces and necks, and making a playful show of looking aghast and insulted at whatever things the men were saying. Very obvious sexual attraction, and the longer she stared, it seemed both were directing the brunt of their attention to the man sitting in the middle of the table.

She checked the man at the far end of the table and nodded; she hadn't been mistaken in her observation. The man was sitting slanted in his seat, angled toward the center of the table. He was built, with short-cropped hair, and he was trying very hard to look casual. Too hard. This was what had made her pause. This man was less effusive in his interest than the women, but he was definitely, hopelessly interested in the other man at the table. He brightened when the man looked at him and wriggled impatiently in his seat when he turned away. It was a little sad to watch.

Safu's eyes narrowed at the object of their desire. Dark hair, strong features, a lithe body. He was pretty. Almost too pretty. Not normally the type she was attracted to.

He smiled and spoke pleasantly with his companions, but he was sitting with his arms draped over the back of the booth. A very clever posture, she admitted. It made him look casual, but also put distance between himself and the girls that sat on either side of him. His body language insinuated: look, but don't touch. Interesting how the girls and the other man didn't realize they were being teased.

 _Or perhaps they do and they can't help but want him more for it._ Humans were odd that way, always wanting what they couldn't have, and that went doubly when attraction was the issue. Shion rose unbidden to her mind, but Safu shoved the image away and focused on the candidate in front of her.

The gorgeous man basked in the hopeless attentions of his companions, every aspect of his demeanor telling her he was perfectly aware of being drooled over. A man that good looking was probably used to ogling. A playboy, definitely, but a different breed than the man that approached her earlier. This wasn't just confidence; this was cockiness, born from experience and an astute self-awareness.

One last sweep of the crowd confirmed that this was the most desirable man in the room. The ideal choice of mate. And best of all, this man was nothing at all like Shion. She nodded to herself.

 _That one, then._

Safu slipped off her chair and strode across the room. The group didn't pay her any attention until she put her hands down on the edge of the table and leaned in to address her target.

"Hey. Do you want to get out of here?"

Safu had gauged that this question was the best introduction. It clearly stated her intention without being uncomfortably blunt. She did not make the same mistake twice.

The table went quiet. Everyone gaped at her—all except the pretty playboy. He blinked at her initially, but as he understood the implication of her words, he arched an eyebrow in amusement.

"Um. _Excuse_ me," choked one of the girls. She was a blonde slip of a thing, but her voice was loud enough to compensate for her slightness. "He's talking with _us_. Scram."

Safu continued to address her target. "Look, I've been watching you for a while, and it's obvious you're not interested in any of these people. So there's no reason to waste any more time with them."

The man smiled. "You're really not big on foreplay, are you? Or does being that blunt actually work?"

"You tell me."

The man's eyes widened. Safu noted they were an unusual color. Another point towards his physical appeal. He chuckled. The table's other occupants started to look nervous.

"I'd love to get out of here," he told her, his voice silken. This probably made most women—and men—weak at the knees, but Safu wasn't in the mood to be swept off her feet.

The table erupted into protests, but the pretty-boy laughed at them.

"I'm sorry," he gestured at Safu, "but I've got to. It's too good to pass up."

He nudged the girl on the end to get out. She looked too mortified to do anything but what she was told. The man slipped out of the booth with the liquid grace of a cat.

 _He's very experienced_.

She had already figured this at first glance, of course. Anyone that good looking and confident could not be short on offers. Still, seeing how nonchalant he was about the situation, she realized she had chosen even better than she could have hoped; a man used to one-night stands was not likely to be clingy in the morning.

Safu indicated for him to follow her across the room to the door. He matched her pace in long, easy strides. He was quite a few inches taller than her. Safu noted this, and then decided to stop tallying his qualities; she had already captured him.

 _Effortlessly,_ she added a little smugly.

"Your place or mine?" she asked as soon as they escaped the din of the bar.

"Geez. You're eager. We don't even know each other's names."

"I don't want to know your name."

The man looked surprised, but only for a second. His mouth curved in a knowing way. "Bad break up?"

"No. Now, pick a place."

"Woman on a mission." He breathed a laugh. "I prefer hotels. Anonymity is a value we share."

Safu nodded and they left together.

And it was good. Good, because they both understood it was purely an exchange of physical desires, the simple act of satisfying a biological, although admittedly pleasurable, compulsion.

 _There. See?_ she told herself the next morning. _Sex isn't so sacred. You don't need to do it with someone you love to enjoy it._

They parted amicably. Safu left the hotel first and they never saw each other again—perhaps because Safu hadn't returned to the bar after that. She felt no need. She had proved her point: she was attractive and desirable, and she knew she didn't need love to live. Having sex with a stranger hadn't erased her feelings for Shion, but it helped distract her from the initial pain.

Enough time had passed now that it didn't hurt anymore. She was not only ready to meet Shion's special someone, but willing. She felt somehow that seeing him happy and settled would give her that last bit of incentive to break completely from any remnants of her unrequited feelings.

Safu checked her watch again and frowned. 5:13. She was beginning to worry. _What's taking so long?_

As if summoned by the thought, Shion pushed through the door.

"Safu! I'm really, really sorry I'm late. The bakery was packed, and I—"

Safu held up her hand. If he was late because he was helping his mother, she didn't need an explanation. Shion smiled gratefully.

"I'm sorry. I was going to text on the way, but I forgot my phone." He laughed. "I'm a mess today."

"I bet." She glanced around. "So? Where's your boyfriend?"

Shion ducked his head shyly at her teasing tone. "He's parking. He told me to go ahead so you wouldn't have to wait any longer."

"Mm. How thoughtful."

Safu smiled a little at Shion. He looked good. Happy. She was prepared to like whoever walked through that door.

She was not prepared.

A tall, incredibly handsome man slipped in through the bar door and Safu's blood ran cold. She knew that man. His hair was longer than she remembered it, but the eyes were the same unusual shade of grey, and his features were just as pretty and smug as they'd always been. The man's smile shrunk a fraction when he saw her, but he continued to approach, and, to her horror, he placed a hand on the small of Shion's back.

Shion's eyes were shining as he looked at him. "Safu," he said excitedly. "This is Nezumi."

 _Shit._

Safu did not normally curse, but… _shit_. He was unmistakably the man she met in this exact bar little more than a year ago. The man she had casual sex with. Shion's boyfriend. She wanted to die.

Nezumi stared at her a moment, but then he smiled in a reserved, but friendly way. "Nice to meet you. Shion's told me a lot about you—cliché, I know, but true nonetheless."

Safu couldn't even think of a proper response. How the man had managed to act normal in this situation she couldn't imagine. It was excruciatingly awkward. But he continued to smile politely at her, guileless and completely unashamed. She was almost angry at his lack of concern, but another possibility froze the anger in her veins.

 _Wait a minute… Does he… not remember me?_

A spike of indignation shot through her, and her anger coursed anew. How _dare_ he not remember her! How many partners did he have, to not remember someone he slept with a year ago?

 _Too many to be acceptable._

How had Shion met this degenerate—better yet, why was he wasting his time on him? It was one thing to have a fling with a guy like this, but it was impossible to make a real relationship. Shion should not be falling head over heels in love with a man who slept with people frequently for fun and didn't remember his partners' faces even after having mind-blowing sex with them.

Safu grit her teeth and ground her thoughts into fine dust. _No. This has nothing to do with me or my and… Nezumi's past. What happened between us was never meant to mean anything, and it doesn't mean anything. What matters is Shion._

She decided to proceed with caution. She needed to try and evaluate this person, rationally and without bias. Shion obviously cared very much about Nezumi, and even if he were downplaying his faults out of affection, Shion wasn't foolish enough to ignore infidelity. Safu herself had changed quite a bit in a year; perhaps Nezumi had changed, too. She narrowed her eyes. _If not, I will remove him from Shion's life—forcibly, if necessary._

"Safu? Are you okay?"

Shion was giving her a weird look.

Safu smiled. "Let's sit. I see a free booth over there."

They sat together, Nezumi and Shion on one side and Safu on the other. A waitress placed waters in front of them and swept off to give them time to check the menu. Safu glanced between the couple, considering.

 _First thing's first: I can't let Shion know about what happened between Nezumi and me._ That was easy enough; if Nezumi didn't remember her, then, fine, she didn't remember him either. They could start with a clean slate.

"I never expected you to pick a place like this, Shion," said Safu, trying for a pleasant, conversational tone.

"Oh, well, it was actually Nezumi's idea to meet here."

 _No big surprise there. Already looking like old habits die-hard._ Safu took a sip from her water to cover up her scowl.

"He wanted it to be as casual as possible."

Safu choked on her water.

"Safu!" Shion rose from his seat and patted her on the back while she coughed. Only a little went down the wrong pipe, so she recovered quickly, signaling Shion that she was all right.

"Casual?" she repeated, and she couldn't help but look directly at Nezumi.

He smiled innocently, and she wondered whether it was just her imagination that it looked a little forced. "Shion meant low-pressure. For someone as smart as he is, Shion's not always as accurate with his language as he could be."

Safu narrowed her eyes at him as Shion sat back down. Nezumi immediately reached over and interlaced his fingers with Shion's.

"I know what you're thinking, but although I wanted this meeting to be as informal as possible, I'm serious about Shion."

Shion blushed deeply.

Safu frowned. He did look serious. She suddenly got the unnerving feeling that Nezumi saw her as some horrible in-law whose blessing he needed in order to continue dating Shion. _He's not really asking for permission, though. He'll just date Shion anyway, if he's so serious._

He _had_ been dating Shion without her knowledge. They'd been together for four months already by Shion's admission, and Shion said that the reason he introduced them now was because he had finally confirmed they were a couple. The evidence for Nezumi's sincerity wasn't airtight, but it was solid. He wouldn't be wasting four months and meeting his partner's childhood friend if he was just messing around. Nezumi as much as confirmed her thoughts when he spoke again.

"I can tell you don't approve of me, but I'm not going anywhere. I won't let go of Shion that easily."

"N-Nezumi…" Shion managed to blush even deeper.

Even Safu felt the beginnings of a blush on her cheeks. It was a mixture of emotions: embarrassment of every kind, jealousy, even a bit of envy. There was challenge in Nezumi's look. _Is this really the same man I met a year ago?_

She knew it was; she had a great memory, and even if Nezumi couldn't remember all his sexual partners, she had no trouble recalling the face of her only one. Something must have happened to make this playboy decide to settle.

 _Of course he's done playing around. He met Shion._

She could see how much he cared about her friend. _Tricky…_ Nezumi's dedication to Shion was an area in which she couldn't fault him.

Shion cleared his throat. "I'm gonna get a drink from the bar. Do you want anything?"

Nezumi tore his eyes away from Safu. "No thanks."

"Safu?"

"No… Thanks."

Shion slid out of the booth, leaving Safu and Nezumi alone in miserable silence. Safu picked up her water and pretended to be busy, but she couldn't help looking back at Nezumi after a moment. He was glaring at her, the playful easiness of his manner nowhere in sight. She blinked, startled.

"Look," he said, the slightest bit of anxiety entering his voice, "I won't say anything if you don't."

 _Oh, thank god._

Safu nodded sharply. "Agreed."


End file.
